vneef_healer | First Day Internship

First Day Internship

The kata of the Earth Dragon is slowly, painfully, mastered over the course of the next few days.

Today though, today is different. For the first time, the first year students are splitting up to receive more specialized training. Alia bid Fajah good luck a few minutes ago, and made her way to the infirmary of the House of Bells.

The infirmary is a large, sparsely decorated area, the floors rough tile for ease of cleaning as opposed to wood or stone. Beds line one wall of the brightly lit area, and lanterns enclosed by water filled glass globes hang from the ceiling.

The pungent smells of herbs, roots, and medicines fills the air.

Alia is in her element, although she's surprised at just how few of her classmates are here with her. Time passes, and Alia represses the urge to go poking through all the herbs and medicines she doesn't recognize and oh she always wanted one of those, and.....

Eventually, she DOES start to wonder what happened to their instructor. Is there a serious accident somewhere that's being attended to?

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More like a surprise visitor.

Well, less surprise, and more important, because there is their teacher, the illustrious Ledaal Rensei Edana, arriving with a tall, lean man dressed in scholar robes of classical fashion, dark green with subtle golden embroidery.

It might take Alia a moment or two to recognize the tall older man as her uncle, Ragara Bagwhei, headmaster and founder of the Heptagram.

Alia does not squee with glee when her mind processes who their visitor is, because that would be vastly inappropriate for a Dynast. That doesn't mean that Ragara Bagwhei's youngest niece isn't very pleased to see him.

How could she NOT be? He is, in so many ways, what she aspires to be one day. Alia greets her instructor and her uncle with the appropriate bows. So far as she can tell, she's the only student who recognizes Ragara Bagwhei.

Oh, they don't need to: the teacher will introduce the man to the students.

Right, most of them fail to be really properly impressed past old important guy, but they all bow deeply, and are graced with a polite nod, as it is proper. Bagwhei's gaze stops on Alia and a small smile curves his lips, before he nods to her again in a more casual way.

Right, lesson of the day, logistics of keeping a Legion healthy.

Alia greets his small smile and nod with as large a smile as she dares. She has to tell Fajah about this when they meet up again!

The biggest issue with keeping a Legion healthy is the threat of disease, not battle wounds. Alia knew that already, but one or two of her classmates seem slightly surprised. Dysentery in the field and where the sewage system is insufficient, fevers and weakness spread by insects and fleas...they can break a Legion's body and its spirit.

Right, something as simple as an improperly set up camp can cripple an army: losing a battle because the soldiers have a bad case of the Runs?

An army marches on its stomach, in more senses than one, so they will learn about cleanliness, food and water, latrines, proper rest periods. Here and there, Bagwhei offers his insights or politely asks a question to one of the students.

Eventually, it is Alia's turn to get a question from her uncle. "What non standard medical supplies would you request for a campaign in the southern jungles?" Oooh, tricky. And an open ended question besides! (The other students look glad that they weren't the ones who got that question.)

Alia bows slightly, then answers. "Honorable sir, I would request sun's bane paste and a large supply of Devi's flower and vinegar to make mosquito repelling ointment during the campaign."

"You would not bring the preparation?"

"No sir, as it maintains its potency for only a day once it is mixed."

Her uncle nods in approval and gives her another small smile.

The teacher nods in approval too, and the lesson continues: each of the students is given a copy of the official medical manual of the realm: Essential Secrets of Flesh and Bone. It's noticeably thicker than the abridged version Alia owns.

After some instructions in referencing and studying the book, Edana takes the students to see a few injured or sick people... servants, guards and a couple students. They even get to see bone-setting after a bad fracture.

Indeed it is! Alia hopes that her knowledge of the abridged version won't trip her up now that she has the official version.

The students were on a wilderness survival exercise until they picked and ate the wrong kind of mushrooms. Mortals might well have perished from eating them, but the students will recover in a day or so. Charcoal and bitter herbs three times a day to purge the toxins for them.

Two servants: one had a long burn on her forearm-treated with burn ointment and kept covered, and the other had a long gash on her hand that required stitches.

The bad fracture belonged to a guard, a sparring accident. From his uniform, he's heavy infantry. He did his very best to not show pain, but with the amount of massaging and pulling it took to put a bone in multiple pieces back in place......

By the time all this is done, EVERYONE is hungry, so it's a good thing that the students are dismissed for a meal. Alia heads to the dining hall, hoping to find Fajah along the way.

Actually... as she heads out, someone calls her name. "Alia?" Looking, she'll see a boy, tall and powerfully built, his skin an earthy brown tone making contrast with his bluer-gray hair.

She's rather sure of never having met him before...

She's sure she hasn't met him, but there are a LOT of Dynasts in Creation.

"It seems my reputation has preceded me," she quips in reply with a friendly grin. "I'm sure I would remember making your acquaintance."

"Forgive me." He bows. "I'm Mnemon Caras Jusai."

"I was, hm... seeing you train the other day, and, was wondering, well..." Yes, embarrassed. Hesitant.

Alia nods in forgiveness. "It's good to make your acquaintance, Jusai." Her lips quirk in a grin, "I am V'Neef Lelani Alia, but I suspect you already knew that."

Alia tilts her head in an encouraging, please continue manner. She has a few suspicions about where the conversation might be headed, but jumping to conclusions can get one in all KINDS of trouble.

"Ah, thank you, yes, I... well, was wondering if you'd like to spar, train together sometime?" See, a perfectly innocent offer, or request.

"It wouldn't hurt to have another sparring partner," Alia allows with a smile, "Although I fear you may be disappointed if I do not fare better with the kata of the wood dragon!" she adds with a chuckle.

"My roommate and I usually spar in the courtyard of Flowers in the evening, if you'd care to join us?" It gives her a 'chaperone' just in case AND it furthers her plans of introducing Fajah to people! Fear her cunning.

"I'd be deeply honored to." Hm, a very formal young man, but hen again, he is a Mnemon. "Would you mind if I accompany you to the refectory?"

Mnemon does tend to formality, it's true.

"Not at all," Alia replies with a smile. Phase one of her plan, complete!

Two such notables in each other's company WILL be grist for the rumor and gossip mill, probably within an hour. (Nothing like a semi-closed community for gossip.)

Rumor, gossip and envy, likely.

Jusai is pleasant company, making polite small talk about the school, family, listening attentively to Alia's replies.

By the entrance, they indeed meet Fajah, still wet-haired after a bath, wearing a comfortable layered silk kimono.

Alia smiles brightly at the sight of her roommate. (And friend, even if she hasn't SAID as much yet.)

"Fajah! I was hoping to find you here." She gestures toward Jusai. "This is Mnemon Caras Jusai, he's offered to join our sparring in the evenings. Jusai, this is Cathak Nihen Fajah, my roomate."

She grins. "Fajah has a greater gift for tactics than I do, and she generally beats me rather soundly in spars."

What? It's true!

The girl takes a moment to recover from surprise and bow to the young man.

Then, she needs to try to form a reply to Alia's praise, but then it might be past her social skills.

Fortunately, Jusai is gracious enough to invite the two inside before the bell sounds: that way they can find good seats, maybe near a window to enjoy the light breeze.

Fajah manages some kind of reply, possibly a bit awkward but sincere.

Jusai's graciousness is noted and taken advantage of. A table near a breezy window is claimed and the trio takes their seats.

(If they're the recipients of any envious glares, they pay them no mind. Fajah's likely still too shocked to notice and Alia is more or less accustomed to envy from others by now.)

Alia is keen on finding out what Fajah's been up to, but she's aware that Fajah may still be a bit off balance. Oh well, she can handle the conversational heavy lifting while Fajah recovers. She nudges the pot of spicy tea that Fajah likes subtly toward her roommate.

"You'll never guess who showed up in the infirmary this morning," Alia starts with an excited smile. "The Headmaster of the Heptagram and THE foremost researcher in Medicine in Creation, Ragara Bagwhei."

Fajah was having more general battle-command classes, strategy, troop disposition, nothing special.

And she has no idea who Bagwhei is, but nods and sounds politely impressed.

Jusai is a bit more knowledgeable, and more actually impressed. He mentions having a cousin studying at the Heptagram.

It may not be special, but it will come in very handy one of these days.

"Mother's youngest sister is also studying at the Heptagram, as it happens," she replies in response to Jusai's mention of his cousin. "Last I'd heard, she was doing very well."

"I prefer alchemy to Sorcery, personally. I may study sorcery one of these days, but I've got a lot of other things to learn first!"

And then the food arrives. Between bites, Alia will inquire about Jusai's classes and share some details of the patients she saw today. (But not the gross bits, because they're eating.)

The two listen attentively, offering comments here and there, Jusai more often than Fajah.

Eventually, mealtime draws to a close and the group prepares to head out. "I need to drop a few things off in the dormitory before we spar," she explains. "Would you care to meet us in the courtyard of flowers in, say, half an hour?"

"I'd be honored to." The tall boy offers a bow to the two girls, smiling, and takes his leave for now.

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First Day Internship

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